Amid the tech boom that is shaping the diamond industry, a growing number of companies are challenging the grading laboratories, arguing that assessing the 4Cs should not be a subjective science.
“Five to 10 years from now, diamond grading won’t be done by gemologists,” claimed Haim Volner, the owner of Shirtal Diamonds, whose subsidiary Shirtal DiaCam is developing an automated solution for grading. “With the progress of artificial intelligence [AI] and deep learning, computers will do the job.”
DiaCam has teamed up with Matrix, an Israel-based software-services provider, to analyze the images of diamonds taken by the DiaCam360 system — a technology that enables a 360-degree view of the diamond.
Tapping its database of “hundreds of thousands” of images allows the platform to learn how to grade the stones, Volner explained in a recent interview at the JCK Las Vegas show.
When compared to the results of grading by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), DiaCam360 showed 90% accuracy in assessing the color of the stone. DiaCam is confident it can raise that to more than 95% by making minor adjustments from that initial trial, noted Lior Hirsh, DiaCam’s chief operating officer, who is credited with developing the concept.
The company is conducting similar analysis to determine clarity through its deep-learning techniques. It is looking for strategic investors to help market the service and take the project to the next stage.
